Do you trust your PR firm?

We have the good fortune to work with some amazing clients, brands that believe in the power of public relations and value its results.

Over the years, though, I can divide the companies we”ve worked for into two groups: those that trust their marketing partners and those that don”t.

You can tell when someone doesn”t trust your opinion. It”s usually because they”ve worked with another firm in the past with lackluster results. Or they felt the service provided didn”t meet their expectations.

The companies that don”t trust their PR firms are the ones that second-guess every comma placement, wonder why they didn”t make headline news of the Wall Street Journal and constantly benchmark their success in number of Facebook likes or Twitter followers (as opposed to engagement levels and conversion rates). They fail to engage with their PR firm past signing the agreement, rather they hold them at arm”s length and keep everyone on a “need to know” basis.

But then there are companies that truly understand what public relations can do for them. How public relations can help share a story with its consumers, how it can bridge relationships between media and the brand, online casino australia how it can be the listening ear to what its audience is trying to say.

These companies engage public relations strategy at the START of a campaign, as opposed to bringing them in at the last minute to try and save the day with a ho-hum news release. These are brands that incorporate PR as part of a larger marketing mix, which includes brand strategy, digital components, word of mouth, advertising and more. They empower their marketing partners to focus and execute on their expert skill set.

Most importantly, the brands that trust their PR firms are the ones who play an active role in its execution. You might think, “I”m paying them money, why should I have to do anything?”

Because by playing an active role — meaning collaborating with your PR team to communicate key business goals and taking the time to understand the analytics they”ve painstakingly prepared for you — you can better understand what public relations is delivering to your company. Knowledge is power, and if you understand how the results are benefiting your bottom line, you”re in a better position to build on those results and communicate it across your organization.

If you”ve had a negative experience with a PR firm in the past, don”t let it taint your future partnerships. We know, there are some crappy PR firms out there. We”ve read the blog posts, too.

But for every bad example, I can show you five great ones, case studies where PR has worked to help salvage relationships between brand and customer, and grow brand awareness.

As we head into a new year, take a look at your existing relationship with your PR firm. Is it one built on trust and partnership? Or are are you treating them like a distant vendor you”d rather not have to manage? If it”s the latter, I”d wager you”re not seeing the full value PR can bring to your table. Keep the lines of communication open and challenge your PR firm to serve as your true brand partner.